One of the world's foremost nuclear physicists (celebrated for his theory of radioactive decay, among other accomplishments), George Gamow possessed the unique ability of making the world of science accessible to the general reader.
He brings that ability to bear in this delightful expedition through the problems, pleasures, and puzzles of modern science. Among the topics scrutinized with the author's celebrated good humor and pedagogical prowess are the macrocosm and the microcosm, theory of numbers, relativity of space and time, entropy, genes, atomic structure, nuclear fission, and the origin of the solar system.
In the pages of this book readers grapple with such crucial matters as whether it is possible to bend space, why a rocket shrinks, the "end of the world problem," excursions into the fourth dimension, and a host of other tantalizing topics for the scientifically curious. Brimming with amusing anecdotes and provocative problems, One Two Three . . . Infinity also includes over 120 delightful pen-and-ink illustrations by the author, adding another dimension of good-natured charm to these wide-ranging explorations.
Whatever your level of scientific expertise, chances are you'll derive a great deal of pleasure, stimulation, and information from this unusual and imaginative book. It belongs in the library of anyone curious about the wonders of the scientific universe.
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乔治·伽莫夫(1904-1968, George Gamow)世界著名物理学家和天文学家。伽莫夫1904年生于俄国敖德萨市。1928年获苏联列宁格勒大学物理学博士学位。先后在丹麦哥本哈根大学和英国剑桥大学(师从物理学家玻尔和卢瑟福),以及列宁格勒大学、巴黎居里研究所、密执安大学、华盛顿大学、加利福尼亚大学伯克利分校、科罗拉多大学从事研究和教学工作。1968年在美国科罗拉多州的博尔德逝世。
伽莫夫兴趣广泛,曾在核物理研究中取得出色成绩,并与勒梅特一起最早提出了天体物理学的“大爆炸”理论,还首先提出了生物学的“遗传密码”理论。他也是一位杰出的科普作家,正式出版25部著作,其中18部是科普作品。
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PART I. PLAYING WITH NUMBERS
I. Big Numbers
II. Natural and Artificial Numbers
"PART II. SPACE, TIME & EINSTEIN"
III. Unusual Properties of Space
IV. The World of Four Dimensions
V. Relativity of Space and Time
PART III. MICROCOSMOS
VI. Descending Staircase
VII. Modern Alchemy
VIII. The Law of Disorder
IX. The Riddle of Life
PART IV. MACROCOSMOS
X. Expanding Horizons
XI. The Days of Creation
Index
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真正优秀的科普著作应该能向读者传达一种精神,一种思考的方法,能带给读者一种独特的视角,以及一种科学的品味,一种人文的观念。
活细胞凭什么性质而和一般的无机物或死细胞——如做书桌的木头、制鞋子的皮革中的细胞——不同呢?
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